Chapter 198: Too Generous to Handle

Sierra’s lips twitched; she felt like she had wandered onto the wrong movie set.

Jonathan, having just finished a phone call, noticed Sierra’s puzzled expression and narrowed his eyes, landing them accurately on Mateo. “What did you say?”

Mateo hurriedly replied, “Nothing. I was just saying we forgot to bring up our gift. I’ll go get it!”

Jonathan thought about it, deciding to tolerate Mateo a little longer for the sake of the gift.

Soon, Mateo returned with the gift in hand. “Mrs. Yeager, it’s just a small token, don’t look down on it,” he said as he handed over his well-prepared item.

Sierra was about to decline, but Jonathan had already taken it and, upon opening it, nodded in satisfaction. Mateo had given a full set of tracking and monitoring devices, ingeniously integrated into jewelry pieces that hadn’t even hit the market yet. Sierra didn’t know about the gadgets inside; she just saw the jewelry and knew it was extremely valuable—all top-notch gems. The gift was too extravagant.

“This is too precious, I can’t accept this!”

Mateo waved off her protest. “Mrs. Yeager, please don’t be formal. It’s for your safety, not worth much.”

Sierra tried to refuse again, but Jonathan had already placed it in her hand. “Keep it, it makes me feel better.”

“But…”

Sierra furrowed her brow only to hear Jonathan say, “The gems aren’t worth much.” It wasn’t the stones that were valuable, but what was inside them.

Before Sierra could say more, Maddox also presented his gift. “You should find this useful, I hope you like it.”

Sierra looked down to see a deed transfer for a laboratory. Jonathan took it and glanced over, commenting lightly, “It’s a bit dated.”

Maddox looked helpless. “It’s the best Maviston can offer, but the equipment inside is state-of-the-art, don’t worry.”

Sierra felt numb. Then, Draven presented his gift, and seeing what he brought made Sierra’s eyes widen. Before she could speak, Draven said, “It’s not a bank card, I don’t have money like that! This is a pass for all major universities and research institutes in Albanos. With this, you can access any you want.”

Hearing this, Sierra breathed a sigh of relief; she felt this was a gift she could accept, unaware that it was even more valuable than what Mateo and Maddox had offered. With this card, she could even enter national research institutes.

Jonathan didn’t explain further, simply watching with a fond look as Sierra happily accepted the card.

Compared to the others, Stone’s gift almost made Sierra’s eyes pop out. He presented a compact self-defense weapon. “This can shoot lasers and generate a high electric current, enough to knock down an elephant.”

Sierra was too intimidated to even touch it; the device seemed too hot to handle.

Seeing her hesitation, Stone reassured her. “Don’t worry, it’s okay if it gets discovered.”

Sierra went quiet. It wasn’t about worrying; she was scared to use such a lethal weapon. Lasers, high voltage—it felt like overkill.

Jonathan took it from her. “Keep it for self-defense.”

Sierra was utterly speechless, now fully trusting in Jonathan’s assurances. Shane couldn’t possibly touch him, right? Stone had just met her and given such a thing: surely, Jonathan was well-protected. And with his skills, he was undoubtedly safe. Sierra even wondered if she had had these gadgets earlier, would she still have been in such a vulnerable position?

Dinner went by in a blur for Sierra, and the four men tactfully left afterward. Jonathan tolerated their presence in his home for quite a while, which was already a stretch. After they left, Sierra was still in a daze.

Jonathan held her close and asked, “What’s wrong? Why that look?”

“All these gifts are too valuable.”

“These things mean little to them, and besides, it’s their way of showing they care. Take them, and don’t refuse,” Jonathan insisted.

Sierra was about to protest when Jonathan added, “Don’t worry about it between me and them. They gave you things you need: don’t turn them down. Keep that card safe.” He explained the card’s significance, leaving Sierra completely overwhelmed.

“Can access national research institutes? Who exactly are Jonathan’s friends?”

“Now you don’t have to worry, right?”